A/N: To zimraphel: Thank you, it's good to know what really happened! I am just writing story this from what I saw in the movie about Bagoas (which is, as you might know, not much), and other stories I have read. I hope you can forgive me if what I write is inaccurate. ;)

To Starr Light1: Yes, he indeed deserved that punch, I couldn't agree more! :)

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Hephaistion stood in his room before the window, overlooking the city. A week had passed since he had left Alexander that one evening, a long, torturing week in which he had against all hope waited for a sign from his lover. Alexander had given the room that had been meant for him to Bagoas, and banished him to the other side of the palace. He did not think there had ever been a time in which he had felt worse. He did not understand how a slave boy and a simple wrong choice of words could have set in motion all this. And he had hit Alexander! It was pure nonsense. It was like a dream, a bad dream that was in his imagination, not real…

He looked up when he heard a knock on his door. His heart jumped up in faint hope and anticipation. "Come in." A dark-haired servant walked inside, his head bowed down. It took Hephaistion no more then one second to identify his visitor. "Bagoas?"

"My lord Hephaistion." Bagoas' voice sounded muffled.

"What are you doing here?"

Bagoas didn't look up. "The king is not happy."

"He sent you here to tell me that?" Hephaistion's voice was flat.

"No, my lord Hephaistion. I came here of my own accord to tell you that."

Hephaistion frowned. Had the youngster truly gone mad? "Close the door behind you, Bagoas."

Bagoas obeyed quickly, then finally lifted his eyes to Hephaistion's. "You must go to him, my… Hephaistion. You two belong with each other, I am the fault of this."

Hephaistion looked down with pity on the young man, then shook his head. "I think not, Bagoas." And then, as an afterthought: "Has he hurt you?"

Bagoas' cheeks coloured the faintest bit. "No…" He looked down at his feet again. "He is good to me. But he is not happy. He speaks your name in the night, when he thinks I sleep."

Hephaistion cringed when he realised that Alexander let Bagoas sleep in his arms. It was not hard to guess what he did with the boy before that. He turned back to the window to hide the tears that threatened to leave his eyes. How could this have happened?

Bagoas' voice sounded even smaller when he spoke again. "Hephaistion?"

Hephaistion did not react, but stared down to one of the beautiful lanes of Babylon, with it's people in their richly coloured garments. How a city so colourful could feel so cold.

"I am sorry I didn't choose to be free… I didn't mean to do you wrong. But he gave me the choice of being thrown out of the palace without a place to go… and a home, clothing, food. He promised to be good to me. I could not leave. I'm sorry."

"You pay a high price for a home, Bagoas."

"I know."

Hephaistion angrily wiped the tears out of his eyes and turned back to the boy. "I don't think you do. But it's not your fault."

He felt a change come over the young man. His face became surer, and in his eyes their was a ghost of a smile. "But I can make it right! I will give my own life to bring you two together. I will not be between you anymore."

When Hephaistion knelt down on one knee and took Bagoas' hand between his own, the slave's eyes grew large. Hephaistion smiled sadly. "You have a good heart, Bagoas, but that is not the solution. I need you to promise me you won't hurt yourself. I will go to Alexander. Will you promise me you won't hurt yourself?"

"Yes," Bagoas whispered.

Hephaistion's heart stirred when he saw the love and devotion in the boy's eyes, that what he used to see when he looked at Alexander. "Good. Go back to where you are supposed to be. I will talk with Alexander today."

He stood up, and let Bagoas out. The Persian boy looked up at him one last time, and he nodded. "Go."